Tempest Build and Weapons Help

[Target-Practice100]

Hi Everyone,

I have a level 20 AA ranger (Human) that I want to LR into a Tempest build. Want it mainly for running Shroud. I am looking for a good build model so I don't get the build wrong as I have never made a Tempest before.

Also, as I don't have any GS weapons as yet, any advice on the type I will need for Shroud? I have a nice collection of mostly mid range scims and rapiers and will be using those until I can get better. I know some will suggest using Kopeshes, but I am not sure I will have enough feats for it.

Anyway, any advice on the above will be most appreciated.

[Kinerd]

Unlike AA, Tempest get almost nothing from the 19th and 20th levels of Ranger. Fighter 1 or monk 1 with rogue 1 is a good way to beef up your Tempest.

There are two main differences building a Tempest. You only need to ever reach 13 Dex instead of 17 like most TWF builds, but you might as well throw your extra build points into Dex after Str and Con, as you do have evasion. Also, you need one of Lightning Reflexes, Oversized TWF, Two Weapon Blocking, or Two Weapon Defense for Tempest 3. I like OTWF personally, but so long as you don't take Two Weapon Blocking you can get some use out of any of them.

Regarding weapons, the most important thing for Shroud is bypassing Arraetrikos' DR, so you need to do Silver and Good damage. You can accomplish this with weapons that have one or more of {Silver, Metalline} and one or more of {Aligned, Holy, Holy Burst, Flametouched Iron, Pure Good, Righteousness}. The best DPS combination is Holy Burst Silver, because it leaves your suffix slot free for a superior DPS suffix. Scims or rapiers are fine, but if you can fit khopesh in it is better. The second (and it is a distant second) most important thing is portal beaters. Portals are fairly unique amongst constructs in that they are evil and therefore vulnerable to Holy damage. They have unbreakable DR and very high elemental resistance (maybe immunity? I've never checked), so something like Holy / Anarchic / Vicious of Construct Bane / Smiting is what you want. They also have no AC so you don't have to worry about negative level or non-proficiency penalties. All the other monsters in Shroud are pretty generic or not your responsibility or both.